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ADNOC announced a final investment decision valued at $6.2 billion for development of the gas cap at the Umm Shaif field in partnership with TotalEnergies, Eni and CNPC. The project focuses on Abu Dhabi’s longest-operating offshore field and forms a central piece of the company’s integrated gas growth approach. According to the ADNOC statement the initiative will unlock more than 600 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas together with associated liquids equivalent to nearly 10 percent of current UAE daily consumption with first production targeted for 2030. The decision reinforces the UAE’s energy security while supporting its position as a reliable global supplier.
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber described the FID as an important milestone for the company’s plans. “ADNOC is accelerating its integrated gas strategy to further harness the UAE’s vast gas resources and expand our global LNG platform, as global demand for natural gas continues to rise. The Umm Shaif Gas Cap FID is another important milestone in delivering this strategy and reinforcing ADNOC’s position as a reliable gas supplier,” Al Jaber said in the announcement. He added “Together with our international partners, we are building on decades of responsible stewardship of Abu Dhabi’s longest-operating offshore field to unlock lasting value for the UAE and our customers.”
The ADNOC statement noted that the UAE holds the seventh-largest gas reserves in the world. This latest step follows the Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs award of the Bab Gas Cap concession which is expected to unlock an additional 1.5 billion standard cubic feet per day of natural gas and associated liquids. The company has also established a global LNG marketing and trading platform in Abu Dhabi Global Market that targets 47 million tonnes per annum of combined marketable LNG capacity by 2035.
The $6.2 billion investment includes three engineering procurement and construction packages totaling $5.1 billion that ADNOC awarded to consortia of major UAE and international contractors for large-scale offshore infrastructure. A further $365 million covers a 14-well drilling and integrated services program that ADNOC Drilling will deliver over 18 months using three existing rigs. These contract awards signal rapid progress on project execution following the FID.
ADNOC outlined a $150 billion investment programme for the years 2026 to 2030 in a November 2025 announcement that supports UAE goals of gas self-sufficiency and net exporter status. The Umm Shaif development aligns with that framework as worldwide demand grows for reliable lower-carbon energy to power industrial expansion and artificial intelligence infrastructure. ADNOC continues to advance multiple offshore gas schemes to monetise Abu Dhabi’s resources effectively.
The project adds to existing efforts at the Dalma Hail and Ghasha fields that the company had flagged as priorities in earlier updates. An Upstream Online report from November 2025 indicated ADNOC was then in final stages of decisions on related gas megaprojects. These combined initiatives are set to expand overall gas output substantially over the next decade.
